Wild Tigers in the Cradle
by Sparks and Sharps
Summary: Oneshot. When Kotetsu fails to come home yet again, one grandmother decides that Kaede needs to know the truth about her father. Spoilers for episode 10


_It would be smart on my part to mention that this take place during the 10__th__ episode of Tiger & Bunny, which means there will be HUGE FUCKING SPOILERS UP THE WAZOO. You have been warned._

_Aaaand Thundercats are go! _

_And bunnies. Can't forget bunnies._

**_Edit: _**_The name of Kotetsu's mom has been confirmed as Anju (Which, through bizarre coincidence, was going to be the name I went with if I hadn't already used it for an unnamed Durarara character in a fic I really still need to finish), so it's name switch time. At least I was right about Tomoe_

* * *

><p>Kaede was in her room crying. Anju Kaburagi could hear her sobs through the walls. She sighed.<p>

It looked like things were going to go so well today too. Kotetsu finally had some time off, and he was going to come back for the weekend – maybe even the whole week. Everything was ready. The guest bed had fresh sheets. Dinner was being prepared for three instead of two.

Everything was fine until the phone call. Kaede was hiding her excitement for most part. Kids these days, so preoccupied with looking cool. Anju heard something about a stuffed animal and parsed that Kotetsu intended to replace the one she'd lost.

Then there was a sudden pause in the conversation, and all the hidden happiness in Kaede's expression vanished.

Kotetsu's plans were canceled, and Anju knew exactly why.

'I knew it," Kaede said bitterly. She abruptly hung up on her father and marched to her room. Her face was masked with apathy, but Anju knew that she was just trying not to cry in the presence of her grandmother. The sniffles started the moment she closed the door.

Anju looked to the television, which was still turned on from this afternoon (Kaede was very bad about saving on the electric bill. Then again, what nine-year-old isn't?). Scheduled programming was interrupted by a HeroTV broadcast of a city-wide terrorist attack in Sternbild. The scenes shifted between the heroes. Blue Rose and Dragon Kid. Sky High and Origami Cyclone. Fire Emblem and Rock Bison. Lastly, there was Kotetsu himself – standing alone against a dozen automations. The normally glowing lines on his suit were dull. He had no power left.

This couldn't go on any longer. Anju knew that Kotetsu didn't want his daughter to know about his work – he was afraid of how she'd handle knowing her father could die at any time – but she couldn't stand to see Kaede like this anymore.

_I'm sorry, son, but I'm going to have to break my promise._

* * *

><p>"Sweetie, are you all right?" Kaede heard the voice of her grandmother through the wall. She had already cried herself out and, it had been a little while since the phone conversation, but she really didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. She buried her face in her pillow in response.<p>

"Go away."

"Kaede, sweetie, I really need to talk to you."

"Yeah? Well, too bad. I don't feel like talking." Kaede punctuated the statement by throwing the pillow at the wall. It didn't make her feel any better. Maybe if she pretended the wall was her dad's face.

_Stupid jerk._

"It's about why your father can't come over."

"I already _know_ why he isn't coming. It's 'cause he's a stupid jerk that cares more about work than anything else."

Anju's tone changed when she heard this. She sounded a bit angry. "Honey, this is really important. I know you're angry, but you need to come out of your room and we need to talk right _now._"

"No."

"Kaede, if we don't talk about it now, you won't be able to find out why dad couldn't come at all."

Kaede was now confused as she was angry. Was that some sort of threat? It didn't sound like one by the tone of voice. "That doesn't make any sense. Why do you have to tell me _now?_"

"Because he's on TV right now. On the news... in a manner of speaking."

The bedroom door opened.

* * *

><p>It wasn't the news that was on exactly. It was HeroTV. The current focus was on Sky High and Origami Cyclone. There was smoke, fire, and debris everywhere. It wasn't like anything Kaede had seen on HeroTV before.<p>

The camera shifted it's focus regularly. To Blue Rose and Dragon Kid. To Fire Emblem and Rock Bison. Wild Tiger was there too. Barnaby Brooks Jr., however, was nowhere on sight.

Neither was her father.

Kaede recognized the bridge Wild Tiger was fighting on, practically snapped in two. It was the same one she and her grandmother took to Sternbild for the ice-skating competition. It was also the same bridge Kotetsu would have had to drive across in order to come home.

Now that she remembered, her father's apology sounded more somber than it really ought to be – it was almost if he was saying goodbye...

Kaede connected the dots in her head. The conclusion that she came to froze her blood solid. It was a possibility that hurt infinitely more than any broken promise. She could feel something pushing at her eyes. Tears, probably. She began shaking.

"Dad's..." She swallowed before continuing. "He's dead, isn't he?"

Anju noticed her grandaughter's distress. She wrapped her arms around Kaede, stroking her hair. "It's okay, sweety. Daddy's alright. I can promise you that."

Kaede's despair instantly turned into anger. "You don't know that!" she snapped, pushing Anju's arms off her. "He was on that bridge when it exploded! There's robots everywhere!"

Anju grabbed Kaede's shoulders and squeezed firmly. "Kaede. Your father is alive. I don't just know it – I can prove it to you."

Kaede's anger began to subside. She sniffled. "How? He's not on TV. You said-" another sniffle "-he'd be there."

"He _is,_ Kaede. He's out there, protecting everyone he can"

Kaede turned back to the television. She still didn't see Kotetsu anywhere. There was almost nobody there – just Wild Tiger straining to hold two cables together, trying to make sure that someone's car would fall into the ocean. Was her grandmother hallucinating? Why would she insist that she could see Kotetsu when the only person still at the bridge was...

Finally everything clicked. Kaede's eyes widened at the realization.

"Dad's a... superhero...?"

Anju nodded. There was a pause in the conversation that seemed to last forever.

"That's not possible..." Everything was still sinking in for Kaede. "You have to be a NEXT to be a superhero. Dad's not a NEXT." Anju hugged her again.

"Yes he is, sweetie. He's a very strong NEXT," she started stoking Kaede's hair once more, "and not just because of his powers."

Kaede didn't speak, but she did stop shaking. Anju continued.

"He's a very good hero. He loves it you know. Saving people. He's just happy that their safe."

While this seemed to comfort Kaede, her face still fell. "Why didn't he tell me?"

"He didn't want you to worry about him. He risks his life every day." Anju glanced at the TV as she said this. She hid her fear as she saw Kotetsu thrown off the bridge by one of the mechs... before being swept up by a very belated Barnaby. She made a smile of relief (the way he was carrying Kotetsu almost seemed romantic) before returning to Kaede's concerns

"It's... complicated." Anju struggled to find the words she needed. "Your mother knew about Kotetsu since they were both in high school. She was a big fan of superheros, so much that she insisted on helping Kotetsu out when he became one himself. She was an unofficial sidekick of sorts." She laughed, but it was a bitter one.

"Something went wrong, and she got seriously hurt. We were almost certain she was going to die. It was one of the few times Kotetsu actually took his vacation days, just so he could stay by her bed as much as he could. He blamed himself for putting her in the line of fire. It nearly broke him.

"You were two at the time, too young to understand just who your dad was. he didn't you following Tomoe's footsteps. So he kept it from you. He was afraid that you would get hurt just like she did."

Kaede was staring at her shoes as she listened to the story. Anju couldn't see her expression, but she suspected she was torn between feelings. She stopped stroking the girls hair and instead grasped her hand.

"He hates the thought of hurting you like this, but circumstances are so complicated, and even heroes can make mistakes. So... Do you think you can forgive your father?"

Kaede still stared at her shoes, refusing to face her grandmother's gaze. There were so many swarming emotions and buzzing thoughts. She didn't really know how to respond. After a long, silent pause, she gave a quiet planet.

"... I'm need to think about it, Grandma. This is all really confusing stuff... Can I go back to my room?"

Anju gave a small smile. It wasn't _quite_ the answer she was hoping for, but it certainly wasn't the worst. "Yes you may. I think some time alone is a good idea. Just be sure to think about it carefully, okay?"

She did.

* * *

><p>Kotetsu stared blankly at the bathroom mirror, registering neither his reflection nor his surroundings. One of the stalls could have exploded, and he probably wouldn't have noticed<p>

This was not his day, and it just seemed to be getting worse. To think that, a few hours ago, a _teddy bear_ was the biggest of his concerns.

A terrorist attack, nearly getting killed, and now Ouroboros was holding the entire _city_ for hostage. Nobody knew what to do. The Mayor and his council were taking their sweet time deciding whether or not they would give in to the terrorists' demands – time that was quickly running out. Yet here he was, stuck at HeroTV's headquarters, unable to do anything to fix things.

And he hurt Kaede. That may not have been as big as the other disasters, but it hurt nearly as much.

Kotetsu really needed something to take his mind of things, anything to release him from the stress that was building. He finally gave himself a proper look in the mirror. God, his eyes looked so tired and old right now.

He felt a buzz on his wrist and glanced at it. It was a message on his communicator, prerecorded. Normally it was used for hero business, but he had talked Saito to install more features for personal use. Those features came in handy, as the call wasn't from Agnes or Lloyds, but someone he had a closer relationship to: his daughter.

Kotetsu swallowed nervously. He dreaded just what Kaede thought of him right now. He felt like such a horrible father right now, and he feared that the message would only confirm his fears. His already terrible day was going to get worse.

He read it anyways. Her grammar was a bit better than most nine-year-olds. Mom was always strict with that.

_Grandma told me everything, Dad._

That _really_ wasn't something he was hoping to read. He frowned slightly. Kotetsu wasn't too happy about his mother telling Kaede about his job, especially without asking him first, but he guessed that, with circumstances like these, she felt like she had to. He read on.

_I'm sort of angry. I don't like that you didn't tell me that you were a superhero. It makes me feel left out, like you don't care enough about me._

Kotetsu tensed up as his heart fell. This message was starting to sound like he feared it would. It almost wanted to make his stop reading and delete it immediately, but he decided against it. He hurt Kaede really badly – he owed it to her to at least read the whole thing.

He discovered that the message changed its tone.

_But I thought about it for awhile and, well, I think I can deal with it okay. I get why you didn't want to tell me, even if it makes me mad. I won't try to get in your way with your superheroing stuff. Grandma said mom got hurt that way, and I don't think I'd be into doing hero stuff anyways._

_I think I'll be ready to forgive you soon for not being her. Grandma thinks you don't take enough days off and I think she's right._

_By the way, I think it's pretty cool that you get to work with Barnaby. Next time you come home (and it better be soon) can you get me his autograph?_

Kotetsu wasn't sure how he should react. He had always worried that she'd feel betrayed, and in a way she did, but it looked like she was giving him a second chance. Relief flooded his body. He almost forgot the horrible situation he was in. He almost wanted to cry.

The good sort of crying. The type you do when you're happy.

He saved the message and typed his own:

_I'm sorry, sweetie. I really have no excuse for leaving you alone for so long . I'll be sure to come right home once this is all over. You can bet that I'll get that autograph for you._

_I love you, Kaede._

_Dad_

He sent the message, only to realize that he could probably do one better than getting Barnaby's autograph: he might actually be able to invite him over. Kaede would be overjoyed. It was the least she could do for her. Barnaby might oppose it at first, but Kotetsu was sure he could convince him.

He turned on the sink and splashed his face. The water felt nicer than Kotetsu had expected. Everything was looking a bit brighter than it had minutes ago, as if whatever invisible cloud that was hanging over him had disappeared.

Kotetsu left the bathroom in a much better state than when he had entered it. He was ready to join the other heroes, and do what needed to be done to save Sternbild. Things may have seemed impossible before, but now he was certain he could do the job. After all, he had a daughter he had to return home to.

And there wasn't anything in the world that could stop him.

* * *

><p><em>Oh look, I'm finally writing something that isn't Durarara fluff.<em>

_Kaede's letter sounds a bit more mature than I would have liked for a nine-year-old girl, but it's hard to get into that sort of mindset. Let's just say grandma was hovering over her shoulder when she was writing that message_

_Tomoe, I believe, is the name that the drama CD gave for Kotetsu's wife. At least I think it was his wife. She might have just been a first crush. I'm choosing to read her as his wife, because it makes Kotetsu's relationship with Barnaby all the more interesting – She was more or less a girl version of Barnaby, glasses, tsundere behavior, book-smarts and all. Sunrise is screwing with us, I swear to god._

_Hitomi's just a name I made up. If Kotetsu's mom actually ends up having a name, you can be sure I'll come back to change it_

_And, yes, the title is a very unsubtle pun. I have no excuse._


End file.
